AFTER last week’s chaos at Westminster there was a general sense all parties were keen to see things pipe down after the institution made a bit of a fool of itself on the global stage.
But with a no-confidence motion in Speaker Lindsay Hoyle edging ever closer to 100 signatures, this ugly episode is showing no signs of reducing to a simmer.
Speaker drama continues
After the SNP’s motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and accusing Israel of “collective punishment” was not voted on last week, Hoyle said the party would get a chance to hold a second debate on the matter.
He told the chamber: “I would say that we can have an SO24 [Standing Order 24] to get an immediate debate because the debate is so important to this House.”
He then repeated the offer, saying: “Yes, I will apologise, I always will when I make a mistake. I did, I offer an SO24, that is within my gift and power.”
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With that on the table, it was hoped last week’s rift could be put to one side as the SNP prepared to put forward a fresh motion calling for “concrete actions” from the UK Government to help make a ceasefire happen.
But on Monday, Hoyle spectacularly U-turned and denied the SNP the chance to hold a second debate.
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said he had “lied” to MPs adding: “I don’t think anyone can be in any position where they don’t find that deeply, deeply challenging given the Speaker of the House of Commons is there to effectively ensure that democracy runs smoothly on these isles.”
In the wake of Hoyle’s latest move, many more MPs have added their signature to the no-confidence motion started by Tory William Wragg, with all three Plaid Cymru MPs adding their names as well as several more SNP figures who may have previously wanted to give Hoyle one last chance to redeem himself.
The question now is where this motion goes from here. The SNP rubbished claims they would disengage from Westminster in response to the debacle, so how will they now keep up the pressure on the Speaker?
Return of Galloway
Many people will have woken up to notifications on their phone on Friday wondering if they had been transported back in time when they saw the words “George Galloway’s comeback” flash up.
Alas, it is true. The former Labour and Respect MP won the Rochdale by-election comfortably and it’s yet another unsightly episode in British politics which appears to have been sparked by Labour’s stance on Israel and Gaza.
Galloway (below), the former All for Unity chief, overturned a huge Labour majority of more than 9600 to claim the seat for the Workers Party of Britain. The surprise runner-up was Independent David Tully.
Labour withdrew their support for their candidate Azhar Ali after a recording emerged in which he claimed Israel was complicit in the terrorist attacks of October 7.
Polling expert John Curtice insisted the result is going to “increase the tension” in the Labour Party over Keir Starmer’s “reluctance” to speak up on Gaza, potentially stoking fears they could be challenged by independent, pro-Palestine candidates at the General Election.
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So if Starmer thought water had been thrown on the fire after the House “nodded through” his party’s ceasefire motion, it would appear there are embers still very much burning over this and he’ll need to work harder to bring many aggrieved voters back on side.
Michael Gove probe
Meanwhile, Tory Cabinet minister Michael Gove has been placed under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog.
The probe opened on Wednesday and relates to the Housing Secretary’s register of financial interests, according to the Standards Commissioner’s website.
The details of investigations by the Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, are kept confidential until the inquiry is concluded, and those under investigation are barred from discussing the allegations.
But The Guardian last week reported that Gove failed to register VIP hospitality he enjoyed at a football match with a Conservative donor, whose firm he had recommended for multi-million-pound personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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